NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? part 15

NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? Part fifteen

Max

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Mrs. Morgan felt relieved that her daughter’s voice brought her back to the present day, yet in a strange way, it reminded her of another voice – a voice from that cold and lonely night, the voice of a young child calling out in a terrified voice, “Mommy, MA-MEE! MA-MEE!”

Mrs. Morgan blinked and tried to push the tragic memory from her mind one more time.

Mary Ellen thought of asking her mother why the weather bothered her so much, but before she found the words, her mom spoke in an attempt to brighten their dim moods. Patting her daughter’s knee, Mrs. Morgan, trying to sound enthusiastic, said, “In the meantime, how about a cup of hot cocoa?”

Mary Ellen dejectedly shrugged her shoulders. “We might as well,” she said with a sigh.

As they turned to leave the living room, a sudden thought came to Mrs. Morgan. “Mary Ellen,” she said cautiously, “when did you say Tommy’s parents died?”

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As Mary Ellen began to speak, she and her mother gasped with fright when they heard a sudden loud clap of thunder as the room filled with a bright flash of light making them forget the question on Mrs. Morgan’s mind.

Mary Ellen looked out the window and said with little surprise, “Look Mom. It’s already raining.”

Her mother corrected, “It’s more than rain, honey. It’s a torrent.”

“Huh?” Mary Ellen turning from the window asked, not sure what a torrent was. She saw the fear in her mother’s eyes as Mrs. Morgan took a few steps back and began wringing her hands.

“Mary Ellen, come away from the window,” Mrs. Morgan said as the lightening flashed again and the thunder echoed. “It’s too dangerous.”

As they walked toward the kitchen, Mary Ellen asked again, “Mom, what’s a torrent?”

Her mother replied, “A violent flow. A forceful outpouring of water.”

Mary Ellen sat thoughtfully as her mother prepared the cocoa.

They sat in the kitchen talking about Mary Ellen’s school work, both of them not sure why they steered the conversation away from Tommy and Max.

After finishing her cocoa and a few cookies, Mary Ellen helped her mother clean the table. Then, she spent the rest of the day moping around the house while trying to look like she was helping her mother tidy things that didn’t really need tidying.

After dinner, Mary Ellen and her mother started cleaning the kitchen, while Dr. Morgan, saying he had some reports to write, started making his way up the stairs that led to his private library, the best place to work undisturbed.

“Mary Ellen, how about ..” A loud banging on the door interrupted Mrs. Morgan.

The pounding seemed to rattle the whole house. Mary Ellen and her mother stopped in their tracks while Dr. Morgan came running downstairs.

Before Dr. Morgan reached the bottom of the staircase, Mary Ellen heard him exclaim, “What the ..” only to be interrupted by more pounding on the door accompanied by a loud horrible cry.

“Dr. Morgan. Dr. Morgan! Please help me. It’s me, Tom.”

Dr. Morgan hurriedly yanked the door. Neither he nor his family expected to see such a sight on the other side. There in the rain stood Tommy, soaking wet, gasping to catch any breath of air available while streaks of blood ran down his body.

Tommy ran the distance from his apartment to Mary Ellen’s house, never noticing how hard the rain pounded against his body, nor did he realize how cold the night air had become. He also hadn’t noticed the blood that ran down the side of his head along his neck and the growing bloodstain on the leg of his ripped pants. Neither did he notice the terrible pain that ran through every part of his body.

Only one thought raced through his mind, and it drove him like the wind that whipped through the trees.

“Dr. Morgan, please,” he said now leaning against the doorjamb, grabbing his side while trying to speak through the broken breaths of air. He looked ready to collapse.

“Tom, come in. It’s cold and wet outside,” Dr. Morgan said as he wrapped his arm around Tommy’s back and under his arm helping him inside. Turning to his wife, he said trying to seize control of the situation, “Quickly, Liz, get him a towel.”

Mrs. Morgan ran upstairs and just as quickly, returned with two big, soft and fluffy towels, one of which was used to wrap around Tommy’s shoulders, while Mary Ellen gently wrapped the other around his head.

“My God! Tom. You’re bleeding badly. What happened?” Dr. Morgan asked with utmost concern.

“I’m okay. Please, ya gotta come wit me, Dr. Morgan. Please. It’s Max!” Tommy pleaded, his voice on the brink of hysteria.

Mary Ellen stood next to her father, too scared to speak. Mrs. Morgan stood next to her daughter and placed her arm around Mary Elen’s shoulder.

“Okay, Tom. Catch your breath. Try to calm down a bit and tell me what happened.”

Dr. Morgan could see Tommy was hurt but too hysterical to be examined. His first objective was to calm the injured boy by getting him to talk in order to keep him from slipping further into shock.

Looking lost and scared and almost in tears, Tommy said, “It’s Max. He’s been hit by a car. He ain’t breathin’ right and he’s makin’ wheezin’ noises when he does breathe. He can’t walk. I think his leg’s broke. Please, help me. Please help him! Please!” His voice sounded more frightened with every word as he grabbed Dr. Morgan’s arm in desperation.

Mary Ellen sat down next to her friend. “How did it happen? He’ll be all right, won’t he? He just has to be!” Not waiting for Tommy to answer, she looked at her father and said, “Daddy, you will go and help, won’t you?

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Thank you for reading Now Will Ya Leave Me Alone? I’m working on another segment. Please stay tuned to see what else might happen to Tommy and Mary Ellen.